Comments on: Fomplicated

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 03:33:32 +0000

Found another example for you. Some months ago I contacted Topeak, makers of the best bike frame pump in the world (Road Morph) to get a replacment part for one that broke. One email, part delivered to me by first class mail, no charge. Couldn’t be better.

Now they have hired a third party “help” service to deal with customer queries. You have to create an account, fill out a form, open a help ticket, it’s like IT support hell. There are no less than three places you have to enter your mailing address by the time you’re done. So much for customer good will.

By: kmtt

kmtt — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 19:13:04 +0000

Here is the direct link for the KMTT feed.

By: Woodstock

Woodstock — Mon, 04 Apr 2005 20:14:41 +0000

I laughed so hard at your elevator description I nearly peed my pants! After too many years doing both official and unofficial technical support I can safely say that fomplicated will now be lodged in my brain the next time I read a “user” manual. Sort of reminds me of the technical writing exercise we did in high school. Basically, write instructions on how to do something. The day we were supposed to get our assignments back the teacher showed up, shut the class room door, took a loaf of white bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of jelly out of her bag. She put the loaf of bread down on her desk and stacked the jars on top of it. Needless to say, that paper’s author had a little rewriting too do. OTOH, do we really need to be told: remove cap, pour shampoo into hand, lather, rinse, repeat if necessary? ;-)

By: jim

jim — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:47:52 +0000

After going back and forth with Liquid, they finally responded with the magic link that not only works flawlessly, but is also bereft of all the additional advertainment.

KMTT

By: Jo Ann Jordan

Jo Ann Jordan — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 21:12:06 +0000

This was a very neat post. MSN is very fomplication prone. I crashed yesterday during posting a comment… so fun.

Thought I would wander back to your blog.

Nice place you have here.

Smiles,
Jo Ann

By: jim

jim — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 20:26:30 +0000

Fomplicated implies pissatisfied.

Ah, yes, last time I went to the DMV I waited only to find out that I didn’t need to wait in the “long” line since I was merely doing a renewal.

By: Susan Dennis

Susan Dennis — Sat, 26 Mar 2005 18:15:42 +0000

It has also been my experience the feeling you get after wandering successfully through a fomplication is not even one of satisfaction.

Next time you have to get your driver’s license renewed, go to the place in downtown Seattle between 3rd and 4th on Union. Getting your renewal is easy peasy. Getting from the front door to the clerk is a giant fomplication since you have to get a number (no matter if it’s empty of all other customers) and the ‘get a number’machine is both hidden and has 5 unmarked buttons only one of which will give you a number. It would be funny if it weren’t so fomplicated.